Our Guest, Lovesamy, Tells All

Our mysterious guest, Lovesamy, who really is lovesamystery, is going to tell about his or her experiences at Bouchercon, the annual biggest convention of mystery writers and readers in the country. The one last October was in Baltimore. This year it will be in Indianapolis.
Bouchercon is named for Anthony Boucher, best known as a critic and reviewer in the field.
I'm starting the thread, but I think you should register and become a reular here, Lovesamy. Don't let the title scare you; not everyone here is a published author.

Dear Dick,
I love a mystery, too. I hope our mystery guest is Agatha, her very own self! Come out, come out! Where ever you are!

Love,
Betty

I’ll start at the beginning, which is not necessarily Bouchercon. A few years ago I decided that I wanted to actively pursue a lifelong dream of being a novelist and spent a year researching what I thought would be my first novel. It was a fascinating exercise that laid the foundation for multiple novels to come. That was not enough though. I lurked on the fringes of writing-related forums, studied up on how to get an agent, write a query, show versus tell, making believable characters, plot, the publishing industry, and many other aspects of this crazy business, not necessarily in that order. (I did, however, ensure that I had time to read Dick’s fabulous AHMM stories. )

Then a funny thing happened on the way to my publication education. I decided to jump in with both feet and attend the ITW ThrillerFest. I decided that if the experience was a good one I’d keep going. If not, it was fun while it lasted and I learned a lot. My first day reminded me of my first trip to Paris. I got off the Eurostar, looked around at all the signs in French, listened to the chatter of multiple languages around me, none of which were English, and panicked. What had I gotten myself into?

I wandered down the hallway of the Grand Hyatt, stalking every badge that passed me by. There went Heather Graham, F. Paul Wilson, Lisa Gardner, Cherry Adair, Clive Cussler, James Patterson, Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver, Alex Sokoloff, Joseph Finder, Vince Flynn, Tess Gerritsen, JA Konrath, D.P. Lyle, David Morrell, Michael Palmer, M.J. Rose, and many many more. I was a pretender, not yet published, mingling amongst some of my idols, terrified that I would be found out and removed.

I wasn’t removed. I was embraced and welcomed with open arms. I attended presentations, asking questions, hesitant at first because I was afraid my ignorance would show. It may have, but no one mentioned it. In fact, many times I was stopped in the hallway by one of the panel authors who wanted to discuss more aspects of my question or give me advice on a plot issue I was having trouble with. Their enthusiasm in welcoming another soon-to-be novelist to their ranks was infectious. That was it, the fire was lit. I was doomed, but happy

I could go on and on, but this is supposed to be about the Baltimore Bouchercon after all. Suffice it to say that TF broke the ice for me and set me on a path that will hopefully bring many happy rewards.

Next up, how I ended up attending my first Bouchercon, oddly enough in Baltimore!

Very interesting. Waiting to hear more.

I've often said that mystery writers are some of the friendliest, most helpful people in the world. There isn't any class distinction. Here is another example. We'll be looking forward to your next installment.
And after that, please register here. You'll find many more friendly and helpful people on this board.

If there is any poor soul in this world who doesn't know what AHMM stands for, it's Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. I have a story called Jack the Tripper in the June issue, which will be mailed to subscribers near the end of this month and soon after that will be on newsstands. That's just the way they do it so don't ask me why.

I am looking forward to reading what lovesamystery says.

I hope this is a real person and not an imposter.

Sounds like the real deal to me, Alice. It would be nice if they registered, though. Then, maybe we'd know how to address them. "He", "she", "Mr", "Mrs" or "Ms" maybe. I hope lovesamy finds us a friendly bunch.

Hello everyone, thanks for your welcomes, and I am a she! Sadly, Ms. Fasig, not Dame Agatha herself but if she decided to whisper into my ear I would not send her away.

I hope Miss Alice is not too disappointed, but other than attending TF and Bouchercon and mingling with authors whose successes I can only dream of for now, I am not an imposter that I know of. (Although I am not sure what prompted that comment so perhaps I am by your definition....? )

I found this forum by following a series of links that started with submission guidelines for AHMM that I could not recreate if I tried. I was prompted to comment by Dick's (I realize it is a little late but I hope it is okay to address you by your first name!) post about the Edgars and my hope that I may have the honour of meeting him in person in October. As I have mentioned I have long enjoyed his stories in AHMM and was pleased to spot a familiar name.

As for joining officially, I will consider it although I would probably not be very active. I would still stay anonymous as I value my privacy and know the power of the Internet full well. I am more of a reader (aka lurker) than poster and am knee deep in proofing a doctoral disseration, finishing a short story for submission to MWA's next anthology, and two manuscripts of my own (out of nine planned so far). Oh, and a full time job, but that is just to pay the bills so I can write.

I'll continue on with more later today or tomorrow. Work demands are a bit heavy this week but hopefully I can squeeze more in soon.

Again, thanks for all of your kind words!

Alice's comment was due to a rude person who was frequenting the forum under suspicious titles. I do believe 'lurkers' are welcome, and you don't have to be a 'published' author to join. This is a good place to learn, ask questions, and mingle. We welcome you, no matter what. But if you join it gives us a way to contact you, and it also gives you access to a private area of the forum that 'guests' do not see.

Thanks for the explanation Ms. Connaway. I can assure you that I don't have the time or energy to be a troll. Although one of my future novels is about a group of Internet trolls so ... hmm ...

Just kidding!

(using this emoticon because I think it is cool)

REALLY??? Now that sounds interesting.

(Do they eat cybergoats?)

LOL Lin! Now, if I give away any details you just might scoop me! Suffice it to say it involves a ghost or two as well ....

I figured you were a girl - woman, if you prefer. I can spot 'em every time, or at least like to think so.
Sure you can call me Dick, or anything else you choose. Along with a number of expletives, I've been called Dick, Clyde, Richard, Stodg, Stodgy and Pop (when I was 26-27 years old).

You’re very good Dick! I am not sure if I could determine gender from words …

I made a lot of first-time author friends at TF. Their mantra was ‘we’re only one book ahead of you’. Sounded good at the time but when faced with a blank screen … They and other more established authors encouraged me to attend Bouchercon later that year so I could "see how the other half lives", but it was in Madison, Wisconsin and then Anchorage, Alaska so that put a damper on my enthusiasm (too far to travel at the time). I am sure some of you dear readers are wondering what/why TF and Bouchercon. TF is the gathering of the fellowship of International Thriller Writers and Bouchercon (as Dick has already stated) is the gathering of the Mystery Writers of America. My genre is a mix of both, and if you perused the membership lists of each you’d see a lot of cross-over.

As I am sure most are aware, the main fiction genres all have their own group and gatherings, others include Romance Writers of America (RWA) and Horror Writers Association (HWA). Their respective sites are full of information if anyone is so inclined to check them out. In addition, membership can help you with networking, something I have found to be essential on the long road to publication. The best part is that you don't have to be published yet to join, so you are able to take advantage of the benefits of membership while getting your feet wet.

I was indeed happy to see that last year’s was going to be in Baltimore, a drivable distance from my home state. So I signed up, gassed up, and made my way to Baltimore.

I had no clue what to expect. I am by no means a timid soul, having braved TF alone multiple times and 15 or so trips across the pond to explore the wild lands of the U.K. and prowl around Paris. I was comfortable with TF though and I had a feeling that Bouchercon was going to be very different. Besides, while my genre is a mix of both (paranormal/suspense/mystery), it was acceptable to blur the lines at TF. I was afraid that I would be an outsider in the world of mystery and clues. No worries! I spent the morning slipping in and out of discussions taking copious notes, running into many TF pals, partaking of the Sisters in Crime hospitality suite, and generally settling in.

Bouchercon was different, but not a bad way. Much more laid back. Hallways full of people clustered in groups, parked on chairs or couches discussing all matters writing. And doing its part to fan the flames in my soul. I listened in on many discussions: how to challenge the reader, mixing mystery and horror (I am pretty sure they scheduled this discussion just to make me feel comfortable J), why writing supernatural fiction is so much fun, and the dark places we go in our writing. And that was just the first day. I will take a moment to explain that you have a choice of what discussions you’d like to attend, and if you check out www dot charmedtodeath dot com and click on the link for schedule you’ll see the types of offerings. (I was drawn to anything that involved the supernatural.)

To be continued …

Very interesting. Looking forward to the next installment.
To clarify one point, anyone can join Mystery Writers of America as an associate and it is a very good idea. For active membership you must have had a mystery published by a select group of major publishers or have had stories published in either Alfred Hitchcock's or Ellery Queen's mystery magazines. The reason the magazines are included is that each receives thousands of submissions annually and now accept fewer than 100. Many people feel it is harder to be published in either than it is to find a publisher for a book.

Dear Loves a Mystery,

Dick will tell you that I write simple stories about the animals that I know. My biggest dream is to write a mystery. It could be one involving these best loved characters that I write about. I do not know the rules of mystery writing.

My characters are simple to people, but to the animal world that they belong, life is complex.

This last week, a beloved rooster named Cogburn was murdered. The neighbors dogs are the suspects since I chased them away from the chicken's house a couple of weeks ago. The damage they did to Cogburn at that encounter was great, but by his great fortitude and my David's care, he healed and finally flew again. Two days ago, he was murdered, the chickens house has been caved in with the weight of whomever did the dastardly deed.

Tomorrow, I will be up before dawn and on the watch for the murderer to return to the scene in hopes of finding more victims. I think we are dealing with a serial chicken killer. I do not think the purpetrator will stop at much.


Love,
Betty

Betty,

I am so sorry about Cogburn.

I think you have a mystery here that will unfold and we are going to hear more about it.

Carol

Yes, Ms. Fasig, writing a mystery is hard! Which is why I have not attempted it yet ...

I am very sorry to hear about your rooster. Nice name btw, 'True Grit' is one of my favorite movies. There are many animal-themed mystery stories out there (Lillian Jackson Braun, Carole Nelson Douglas spring to mind), I say go for it! If your posts here are any indication, you have a very funny voice (your writing voice, not your speaking voice ) that would translate well to that type of story.

When I was young I devoured Agatha Cristie mysteries. When I realized that I wanted to be a novelist I revisited her novels. (I wanted to write mysteries at that point but one day I picked up 'The Wolfen' and decided that I would prefer to scare people instead.) Knowing whodunnit, I would try and spot clues that she scattered along the way to see how she did it. One thing that was impressed upon me when I was studying the art of creating a mystery was the importance of playing fair with the reader. For example, if character X did not appear throughout the book from almost the beginning, do not make character X the "who" in "whodunnit".

And Dick is right. Most of the organizations I mentioned will allow you to join at some level (depending on different factors) and you will still be able to take advantage of the majority of the benefits even if you are not yet published. Many of their sites offer information that can be accessed without membership. For example, debut author Jeremy Duns has an article on the ITW site this month titled "What I've learned about writing thrillers from reading Dr. Suess". (Timely in that his birthday was March 2. ) It is a pretty interesting read!

More on Bouchercon later ...

Lovesamy,

I certainly hope those aren't you final thoughts, and hope you stay around here. You give another perspective that is always appreciated.

And besides getting your unbiased impressions of Dick at the Boucheron in Indianapolis would be interesting.

Carol

I don't know how unbiased they'd be ... I already think he's a terrific writer!

Good --so do we!

Dear Love's A Mystery,
Thank you.

Your enthusiasm is beautiful. I will watch for a glow in the Northern sky coming from around Ohio way and I will know that you have met Dick at the Boucheron.

I will wish that I was there with you both.

Love,
Betty

Thanks very much Betty! You are so very sweet. Perhaps you could join us, I promise it will be a lot of fun.

And no worries, what happens at Bouchercon, stays at Bouchercon ....